The day after the performance on the crease during day three of the second Test against South Africa, disappointment surfaced in the mind of Babar Azam as he tried to process the shot he played. On a greenish surface of Newlands, Babar stood on the edge of breaking his Test century jinx. Since hitting a century against New Zealand in 2022, Babar has bided his time for his next three-digit score in red-ball cricket. It seemed, at last, that the stars would favor Babar and give him the one thing he coveted, his 10th Test hundred. With just 15 minutes left for the day to end, a moment where Babar’s efforts were undone after his unwavering concentration lapsed for a moment.
He was attempting a booming cover drive but found only a thick outside edge. Bedingham, stationed at the gully, boasted his sharp reflexes and went low within the blink of an eye to take a stunner. Marco Jansen posed in jubilance as South Africa finally broke through in this needed phase.
However, the first innings misery came more from the shot Babar selected. He was tempted to give an edge straight to wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne by debutant Kwena Maphaka.
At last, disappointment overtook Babar, “I’m very disappointed with both innings. I started well but didn’t finish well,” he said. “If you settle, you must go much bigger. That is why you have to have a little upset. There were just 15 minutes left,” said ESPNcricinfo.
The nature of dismissal becomes even more agonizing for Pakistan fans and for Babar, especially when there is no threat from South Africa either to him or his mate Shan Masood.
“Conditions here are certainly different from those at Centurion. When you come to South Africa, you don’t expect that [the pitch will be so flat]. With the new ball, it was a bit challenging, but once you settled down and built a partnership, it became easier,” he told reporters.
He may not have crossed the line for a century, but there was positivity for Babar as he scored his first fifty in the format after two years. Since that second innings in the Centurion Test, he has been on fire and made a hat-trick of fifties in as many innings.
None of those dismissals was anything but a lapse or lazy shot selection against a seemingly innocuous delivery.
“I should have capitalized during our partnership, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen. In the second innings, my partnership with Shan has helped us come back into the game a little,” he added.
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